FAQs

National Heritage Areas are Congressionally designated regions that represent the stories of nationally significant and distinct aspects of America's heritage. 

The Heritage Area's office is located at 1417 E. Main Street, Murfreesboro, TN 37130.

We have brochures available at the Heritage Center of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County. Visit our "Tour" page for more information on our digital brochure offerings. 

Yes, we do have a passport program! To get your NPS passport stamped, please come to one of our offices in Murfreesboro, either 1417 East Main Street (weekdays from 8:00-4:30) or 225 West College Street (Tuesday-Friday from 10:00-3:00). Please call ahead at (615) 898-2947.

The Heritage Area serves Tennessee's citizens and visitors to the state. Through our Professional Services Partnership initiative, we partner with organizations and individuals throughout the state to provide architectural assessments, historical research, publication development, and public programming support. Through our Collaborative Partnership initiative, we provide matching funds for a variety of projects.

Through our website, educators can find information for use in the classroom or on field trips. Researchers, students, and educators can use the themes to benefit their own research or schoolwork. Managers of Civil War tourism or educational sites can apply for funding. People interested in travel with a focus on the Civil War can use our downloadable driving tour brochures as well as our list of sites to plan their vacations or weekend get-aways.

The Heritage Area is about much more than battles. We strive to tell the whole story of the Civil War and Reconstruction, including experiences on the home front, women's roles in the war,  the demise of slavery, emancipation, Reconstruction, and the legacies of the Civil War in addition to the battles.

Federal funds may be available for projects; all such funds from the Heritage Area must be matched on a 50/50 ratio by state, local, or private monies. Your organization may also be able to take advantage of our Professional Services PArtnership program. Visit How We Can Help on our home page for details on how to apply for Collaborative Partnership funds and how to enter into a Professional Services Partnership with the Heritage Area.

The Tennessee Civil War National Heritage Area covers the entire state but is focused on the museums, historic sites, and communities located along eight major mid-19th-century transporation corridors associated with the Civil War and Reconstruction in Tennessee. The offices of the Heritage Area, which is one of several programs administered by the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University, are in Murfreesboro. Please go to Sites for information about the many museums, parks, monuments, and battlegrounds in Tennessee.

The Heritage Center is one of the Heritage Area's partnerhip projects. Located at 225 West College Street just off the Square in Murfreesboro, the Heritage Center provides a place for visitors to Rutherford County to learn about the rich historic sites in the region. The Heritage Center also houses several exhibits, including "The Time That Changed Everything: Murfreesboro's Civil War Era." Ther Heritage Center is a joint venture between the Heritage Area, Main Street: Murfreesboro/Rutherford County, the City of Murfreesboro, and the Center for Historic Preservation at Middle Tennessee State University. Additional support comes from the Rutherford County Government and State Farm Insurance.

The Heritage Area can assist you by providing professional guidance, and possibly matching funds, for the development of driving or walking tour brochures, exhibits, public programs, or materials for your local schools. The best place to start is to call (615-898-2947) or e-mail our office at civilwar@mtsu.edu to discuss your ideas.

The Heritage Area can assist you by providing professional guidance, and possibly matching funds, for the development of driving or walking tour brochures, exhibits, public programs, or materials for your local schools. The best place to start is to call (615-898-2947) or e-mail our office at civilwar@mtsu.edu to discuss your ideas.

There are several ways. Teaching with Primary Sources (TPS) is the best place to start. This site will give you ideas, lesson plans, activities, sources of information, and links for local history education.